


In a Lover’s Eye Is the Foremost Beauty

by savanting



Category: Mulan (2020)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Married Couple, Married Life, One Shot, Post-Canon, Post-Wedding, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26337574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savanting/pseuds/savanting
Summary: Married life may just agree with Mulan after all. One-Shot.
Relationships: Chen Honghui/Fa Mulan, Honghui/Mulan
Comments: 17
Kudos: 215





	In a Lover’s Eye Is the Foremost Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any Disney properties, such as _Mulan_ (2020). This is just a fluffy little fic about what might happen if Mulan and Honghui were to marry. They can be so cute.~
> 
> The title comes from the English translation of a Chinese saying.

The sunlight trickled through the shutters of the window, and Mulan turned her face away from the light to settle on her other side – only to realize she was not alone in the bedroll.

Her eyes peeked open to glance at the man who had just become her husband. _Husband._ The word was so unfamiliar even though it was thrown around this way and that in the realm of matchmaking. But the term had new texture for her now: the subtle hint of his breathing as he slept, the curve of his cheek nestled against the pillow, the bare skin beneath the coverlet that spoke of an intimacy that had not existed prior.

Chen Honghui, her husband. The words didn’t seem like they could belong to her, but so they were.

Lightly, making sure not to wake him, she brought her fingertips to his forehead and then against his hair, soft as sheep’s wool. Then she drew her hand back and wondered if she should crawl out of the bedroll and dress as quietly as possible before starting on her chores around their new home. There was so much to do, like feeding the chickens, and making breakfast, and maybe even practicing with her sword stances—

Before she could even make a move, however, her husband’s hand grasped hers. His eyes opened, lids fluttering, and settled on her while a faint smile crossed his lips.

“Good morning,” he said, so soft she felt the breath of the words rather than actually hearing them.

Suddenly, she felt a rush of shyness and wished she had gotten dressed when she had the chance. “Good morning,” she replied.

To her surprise, Honghui bridged the minimal distance between them and brushed a kiss against her cheek. "Did you sleep well, wife?” he asked, his voice lightly teasing, before he settled back just to look at her.

Sleep? Had there even been time for such a thing? All she could remember was moving against his body at different intervals, relentless and so full of desire, until she had drifted off into a dreamless state in his arms.

She just nodded. “Did _you_ sleep well, husband?” she returned.

“Mm. What do you think?”

Mulan smiled even though her cheeks were beginning to feel warm from embarrassment. “I think there were other things on your mind.”

“Do you think so?” he asked. “And what about now?”

“I think you’ll have to go down to the spring and cleanse yourself because you’re probably having wicked thoughts,” she said.

They just stared at each other – before they both started laughing. It was a wonder, that they could be serious or light with each other, and not judge one another for it.

“I’ll go to the spring,” he said after his laughter had subsided, “if you come with me.”

Mulan shook her head. “We have to tend to the house and the fields—”

“We can give ourselves one day of frivolous pursuits,” Honghui said. “We were just married yesterday. No one would be surprised if we shut ourselves up in this bedroom for a few days.”

That was a tempting thought, far more than she would have realized before.

When she didn’t answer straightaway, Honghui tangled their fingers together before bringing their joined hands to his lips. “Are you considering the proposition?”

She should have said no – there were so many things to do and so little time in the day – but instead she just grinned at Honghui.

“I think we can stand to stay in here a little while longer,” she said.

Honghui leaned in, until he was only a breath away from her lips, before he said, “That’s an _excellent_ idea, wife.”

There was no need for words after that; their bodies would have all the conversation instead.

*

“So,” her sister Xiu began in conversation a few days later, “are you enjoying married life?”

The sisters had sat down to have tea while Honghui went out to the fields that they had procured through a family friend. The money they had earned under service to the emperor had been more than enough to buy a little farmhouse not far from where the Hua family resided.

Even so, Mulan could tell that being a wife stuck in the duties of home life was not exactly suited to her. But Honghui was patient, and he said that he would help her with whatever she struggled with, and – perhaps most important of all – he told her he didn’t expect her to cater to his every want and whim.

“He’s the best husband I could have asked for,” Mulan replied, “so everything else will fall into place around that.”

“Oh?” Xiu looked intrigued. “Is he a satisfactory lover then?”

Mulan nearly gasped. “Sister! That’s not the kind of question you should ask!”

But Xiu just continued to smile, almost as if she were holding back laughter. “Oh, Mulan, you’re so bold in other areas, but when it comes to intimate matters you’re still like a blushing child.”

Mulan looked away from her sister’s perceptive gaze. “Honghui says he doesn’t mind that I’m . . . new to such things. He says we can learn from each other over time.”

“How romantic,” Xiu said dreamily with a soft sigh. “He really is suitable for you. I don’t think you could have found a better match, even if you had gone on a search across the entire empire.”

“I don’t think I could have found someone better either,” Mulan agreed. “He doesn’t find me lacking, no matter what the matchmaker said about me. He just . . . takes me as I am.”

Another sigh came from Xiu. “I never thought I would see the day when my sister was so hopelessly in love. I’m so happy for you.”

Mulan smiled as she took a sip of her tea. “I’ve had many blessings in my life,” she said, “but this one may just be the best.”

And that was the truth she held in the deepest part of her heart.


End file.
